The ways in which Anderson tries to illustrate the desire for freedom are so mechanical and carry so little conviction that I think one may conclude that the heroes are shooting because he needs to discharge his rage.

| Jul 6, 2022

From its title on down, If ... is a movie about the power and peril of imagination, and the seductive thrill of wishing that we might externalize our inner lives for all to see and fear.

| Apr 6, 2020

If.... remains a relevant and visceral howl at the "Establishment".

| Original Score: 5/5 | Mar 20, 2020

If we can't read the writing on the wall, perhaps it was because the hand shook a little.

| Mar 20, 2020

Given how readily the film slips from realism to surrealism and back, it's unwise to take the ending at face value, but the dream of laying waste to the social order remains potent.

| Original Score: A | Mar 20, 2020

Making his debut in the lead role, Malcolm McDowell displays the charisma he would bring to A Clockwork Orange...and the ending still packs a punch.

| Nov 16, 2018

Punchy, poetic pic that delves into the epic theme of youthful revolt.

| Jul 6, 2010

The film finally succumbs to its own abstraction with an ending that satisfies neither symbolism nor wish fulfillment.

| May 9, 2007

A film of tremendous resonance, coming when it did in 1968 with the force of a grenade.

| May 9, 2007

A modern classic in which Anderson minutely captures both the particular ethos of a public school and the general flavour of any structured community.

| Jun 24, 2006

If . . . is so good and strong that even those things in the movie that strike me as being first-class mistakes are of more interest than entire movies made by smoothly consistent, lesser directors.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | May 20, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 1, 2003

A true British classic.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 6, 2002

I have to say I find the surrealist ending rather flabby and undermining, but this is still a terrific film made with incredible brio.

| Mar 3, 2002